Subwoofer questions!!!!

manowar821 · Post by **manowar821** » February 25th, 2005, 7:55 am

I have everything I need to make it work.. But my friend told me I should fill the sub box with some kind of material like foam etc...
I don't know what he's talking about, as I've never heard of that before, but the more I think about it, the more I think it makes sense...
So what kind of stuff should I shove in there? And how tightly should it be packed??

Also, my sealed enclosure (for 2, 10 inch subs) came completely done, and carpeted, but the carpeting goes all the way to the edge of the 2 holes. Do I need to cut some of that away to make the box air tight? Or does it not have to be air tight? Also, what should I used to seal it if I have to, glue or caulking or something??

Thankyou to whoever answers!

Acamori · Post by **Acamori** » February 25th, 2005, 9:09 am

it depends on the size of the box, and the ideal volume for your subs.

packing the box with polyfill (pillow stuffing) makes it act like a larger volume box. so if you're trying to save space, but want to still have enough volume, that's what you'd do. you probably don't really need to use any.

as for the sealing, if your subs have a rubber rim around them (some do, some don't) than screwing it in tight would probably be sufficient. if it doesn't have the rim you can get stick on weather stripping kind of stuff to stick to the back of the sub. i wouldn't suggest gluing or such.

good luck.

Typhoonk · Post by **Typhoonk** » February 25th, 2005, 12:17 pm

what would you put in a box to make it seem like a slightly smaller box? pjamas? just kidding - seriously. I just removed the port from my box, so I need to stuff something in there to make it smaller (without adding a lot of weight - box is hard to move as it is!)

manowar821 · Post by **manowar821** » February 25th, 2005, 4:12 pm

Alright, sooo I'll need to cut away some of the carpeting in order to make a seal, because you can't really seal on carpeting (won't be airtight)...

Or would it..? Could I seal it on the short carpeting?

One more thing....

I know I know... I wan't this to sound right. Do any of you know which side the car has the power wires on, and which has the signal wires? I don't want interference. Or should I say "screw it" and just buy an interference blocker?

This helps me quite a bit you guys, thanks.

Acamori · Post by **Acamori** » February 25th, 2005, 7:33 pm

you can run the wires on either side. it really depends on whether you're power comes off the battery or right off the altenator. either way there are holes in the firewall that the wire can come through. then you can easily run them under the carpet on either side.

MX-SLICK · Post by **MX-SLICK** » February 25th, 2005, 10:50 pm

No you dont have to fill it with anything...i have tried it and it dont make a difference in most cases. Dont worry about caulking either...just install the sub snug with all 8 screws nice and tight (without stripping them) and it will be perfect.

manowar821 · Post by **manowar821** » February 26th, 2005, 6:44 am

MX-SLICK wrote:No you dont have to fill it with anything...i have tried it and it dont make a difference in most cases. Dont worry about caulking either...just install the sub snug with all 8 screws nice and tight (without stripping them) and it will be perfect.

woh haha... Mine only have 4 screw holes.

Invisible · Post by **Invisible** » February 26th, 2005, 1:54 pm

manowar821 wrote:
MX-SLICK wrote:No you dont have to fill it with anything...i have tried it and it dont make a difference in most cases. Dont worry about caulking either...just install the sub snug with all 8 screws nice and tight (without stripping them) and it will be perfect.
woh haha... Mine only have 4 screw holes.

Maybe he means all 8, 4 on each sub?

MX-SLICK · Post by **MX-SLICK** » February 26th, 2005, 3:18 pm

Oh, sorry...in most cases subs use 8 screws, but 4 is fine too...just make sure they are snug. If you want you can get a foam gasket that fits around the sub to seal it...probly get them at a stereo shop for 5 bucks.

manowar821 · Post by **manowar821** » February 26th, 2005, 6:26 pm

can I use that gasket on the carpeting? Because it is carpeted all the way to the edge of the hole(s).

MX-SLICK · Post by **MX-SLICK** » February 27th, 2005, 12:52 am

if the carpet is all the way to the edge of the speaker holes then the carpet itself will seal the subs perfectly. Just bolt them up and you will be happy. I have never actually seen anyone stuff foam or insulation or whatever into a sub box.....i know its done alot on home stereo speakers but never have i heard anyone reccomend doing that to a sub box....just leave it empty and put the subs in....make sure all the connections are snug (use disconnect terminals if you got any)

VizualXTC · Post by **VizualXTC** » March 7th, 2005, 6:31 pm

Like Acamori said, the only thing the stuffing does, it make the subwoofer perform like it is in a larger enclosure. Look at the spec sheet on your sub (if it didn't come with one, then look for it online) and see how many cubic feet it needs. A 10" sub should need between .75 and 2.25 ft^3 per sub. (it will give a span because it will give the smallest and the largest enclosures.) If you're box is a 2ft^3 per sub box, then you shouldn't need any polyfill. (Most prefab boxes are 2ft^3) But, it could still make a little difference. You can buy polyfill from any car sterio shop, but if you go to walmart and buy a pillow with synthetic filling, then that is essentially the same stuff. You'll want one pound for each ft^3. Now, it also depends on if your box is ported or sealed. A ported box will bennefit more from polyfill than a sealed enclosure.

As for your sealing problems. The carpet that they use will compress and create it's own seal. Like Slick said, just make sure you tighten it well without stripping the hole.

reaper of souls · Post by **reaper of souls** » March 19th, 2005, 11:46 pm

VizualXTC wrote:Like Acamori said, the only thing the stuffing does, it make the subwoofer perform like it is in a larger enclosure. Look at the spec sheet on your sub (if it didn't come with one, then look for it online) and see how many cubic feet it needs. A 10" sub should need between .75 and 2.25 ft^3 per sub. (it will give a span because it will give the smallest and the largest enclosures.) If you're box is a 2ft^3 per sub box, then you shouldn't need any polyfill. (Most prefab boxes are 2ft^3) But, it could still make a little difference. You can buy polyfill from any car sterio shop, but if you go to walmart and buy a pillow with synthetic filling, then that is essentially the same stuff. You'll want one pound for each ft^3. Now, it also depends on if your box is ported or sealed. A ported box will bennefit more from polyfill than a sealed enclosure.

As for your sealing problems. The carpet that they use will compress and create it's own seal. Like Slick said, just make sure you tighten it well without stripping the hole.

Actually the saled box will benifit more from the polyfill if you start adding that to a ported box you now longer have a ported box you have a sealed box with a aperiodic vent just means you have a sealed box with a control leak adds a bit to cone response